Eco Friendly Ways To Kill Poison Ivy

Poison ivy can be a real problem for gardeners. Almost everyone is allergic to poison ivy, with some people so allergic that coming in contact with the plant means a trip to the hospital. I've had to get rid of a lot of poison ivy on my property to keep my family and pets safe. Here are some ways to get rid of poison ivy with eco friendly methods.

Taking Matters In Hand, Removing Poison Ivy Manually

Perhaps one of the best ways to get rid of poison ivy is to remove it by hand when the soil is soft, just after a good rain. Be sure to wear gloves and a long sleeved shirt and long pants. Poison ivy plants are dark to light green in springtime and look like the one in the photo above. Poison ivy has three leaves on one branch, hence the old adage "leaves of three, leave it be." "Leaving it be" won't get rid of it from your yard and garden, so you'll need to do a bit of work. While wearing gloves use a plastic kitchen garbage bag as a second "glove", and pull out clumps of the vine. Turn the bag inside out as you remove your hand and place the partially full bags to the side while you repeat the process over and over using more bags. After you are done wash your hands and any exposed skin with soap. Be sure to wash your shirt and pants separately in hot water with detergent after you are done. A sharp shovel can be used for tougher plants but this leaves part of the root system, from which new plants can grow. Sometimes you can kill poison ivy by smothering new plants with a large clump of mulch or plastic. If new plant emerge afterwards, try the method listed below.

Use Horticultural Grade Vinegar Or Acetic Acid To Kill Poison Ivy Safely

A good, all natural herbicide that kills poison ivy in an eco friendly manner is CedarCide Ridaweed or other brands of horticultural grade vinegar. This leaves no harmful chemical residue in the environment when you are done and won't harm pets or wildlife. You may want to use horticultural vinegar, sprayed from a pump up sprayer, on tender new foliage that comes out after you have used manual control methods.

Things To Avoid When Controlling Poison Ivy With Eco Friendly Methods
Never try to remove poison ivy using a Weedeater or string trimmer. This will cause millions of bits of the plant to become airborne and can cause a severe allergic reaction to anyone breathing the air. Also, try to avoid mowing areas with poison ivy for the same reason.

If you must use a chemical herbicide, Roundup, which uses the chemical glyphosate, has a fairly short half life in the environment, though is not considered an "eco friendly poison ivy control method".

See the video below about how to kill poison ivy with vinegar.